The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Certain software applications, referred to below as “geographic applications,” can run on conventional computing devices such desktop and laptop computers, portable devices such as smartphones, or on embedded devices such as head units of vehicles to provide interactive digital maps, navigation directions, geographic search capability, and other geographic functions etc. Some of these applications are configured to provide output and receive input via interfaces that support user gestures, such as “flick” or “tap.” Some of these gestures communicate motion to the viewing window, or “viewport,” demarcating the frame in which a digital map is displayed. In certain situations, such as when driving, it is difficult for the user to control viewport precisely.